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07-10 June 2021: A virtual training workshop to review and validate the Aquaculture Legal Assessment and Revision Tool (ALART) was successfully delivered by the Development Law Service (LEGN) with the participation of more than 150 participantsfrom Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste and Viet Nam. There were also  representatives from the  Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO-RAP), the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA)  and the Shoutheast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC).

Participants were introduced to and trained on how to use the ALART, a tool that sets out a methodology to systematically analyse and assess national legal frameworks for aquaculture development in order to identify potential gaps, weaknesses, among other issues, and to identify possible options for revision or reform. A practical exercise was undertaken by the country participants to try out ALART through answering 38 out of the 156 questions in ALART, as well as brainstorm ideas on recommendations to address gaps in the assessed legislation and the potential assistance needed from FAO in improving the countries’ national legal frameworks for aquaculture. The workshop was interactive with intensive knowledge-exchange among participants. Participants commended the ALART as a comprehensive tool for analysing and assessing legal frameworks for aquaculture. They also expressed their desire to engage in follow-up national workshops to further enhance their understanding and knowledge of the ALART,  and to request for FAO technical assistance in homonizing their countries’ legal frameworks for aquaculture.

ALART was initially tested in a previous regional workshop with participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam. The experience of these participants in using ALART was also shared in this regional workshop. More comments and substantive inputs from the participants were collected to improve ALART, which was agreed to be a living document, and will be revised according to the feedback received in both workshops. A separate study entitled ‘Legal Frameworks for Sustainable Aquaculture’, providing the background on the international normative framework for the sector, reflections on the development of aquaculture legislation at national level, and an assessment of key elements of legal frameworks for sustainable aquaculture, will be published soon.